Helsinki City Theater’s dance group turns 50 years old. The party piece was ordered from a foreign choreographer who already put the Finnish dancers on fire 15 years ago.
Helsinki Dance Company (HDC) is visited by a foreign Choreographer after a break of more than a decade.
Six HDC and five guest dance artists will be seen on stage.
Lachky is known for his demanding movement language and the explosive energy he transfers to the dancers. The work is so physically demanding that personal trainers were acquired for the performers during the rehearsal phase.
Lachky demands a lot from the dancers.
– I expect the dancers to throw themselves perfectly. I expect that they will not question me but dare to dive into a joint journey, says Lachky in an interview with Yle.
Children are an incorruptible audience
Lachky founded his own group ten years ago. Its home base is in Brussels.
Lachky has made a name for himself with his dance works for young people, and one of them, *Les Autres* (Finnish: The Others), completed during the corona virus, has become an international hit.
The choreographer’s own children have had the greatest influence on the creation of works aimed at young people.
– I want to offer my children high-level art. That’s one of the reasons why I make works for young people.
Lachky considers children an incorruptible audience.
– Children sense quality much more sensitively than we adults even understand. I try to make the best possible work for them. Of course, it must also appeal to other target groups, otherwise I feel that I have failed, Lachky states.
Lomonosov’s engine drew crowds
Helsinki Dance Company has gotten up to speed again after exceptional circumstances.
HDC’s activities have become more dynamic under Lahti’s leadership, and he has added two permanent premieres for dance to the theater’s annual calendar.
Foreign choreography has not been seen in the dance group for years
The city theater’s dance group, which is celebrating its anniversary, is known for its multi-talented members, and you can see them in musicals, dance works and plays. However, according to the director of the dance group, the core of the activity is in the art of dance.
– The task of the group is still to make dance art of the highest possible level, Lahti states.
During his period (2006–2009), Helsinki Dance Company was visited by a whole group of interesting international dance artists, and Anton Lachky, who was at the beginning of his career, was one of them.
*Special Night, premiere 8.3. at the Helsinki City Theater*
Listen to: Dance artist Valtteri Raekallio and writer Eino Santanen